The UFC is in dire need of a superstar and, as unlikely as the cross-sport transition might be, Anthony Joshua would definitely inject some mainstream interest to the UFC's heavyweight division.
Joshua found himself the subject of several call-outs from the UFC's elite over the past year as opportunistic mixed martial artists pounced on the public's infatuation with Conor McGregor's crossover to the world of boxing.
"I’ll still smash up those UFC fighters if I wanted. You can’t talk to me like that," Joshua warned after current UFC heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic and former champ Junior dos Santos made it known that they fancied their chances in the ring with 'AJ'.
While Joshua has his hands full with challengers in the boxing realm, with a unification clash against Joseph Parker scheduled for the end of the month, he has not ruled out the possibility of accepting a bout under MMA rules.
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Shortly after the legendary Floyd Mayweather Jr. bigged up his wrestling credentials as he continues to tease a rematch against 'The Notorious' in the world's preeminent MMA organisation, Joshua admitted that he would be open to working his way up the UFC ladder.
"I'd have to have a couple warm-up fights first," Joshua told
Sky Sports. "You have to learn the submissions.
"A fight's a fight at the end of the day so yeah, I would do it."
The undefeated Joshua first identified Francis Ngannou, the French-Cameroonian behemoth, as a potential opponent before singling out the controversial 205lbs legend, Jon Jones.
"You've got Jon Jones, that'd be a good scrap."
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Ngannou had been touted as the next big thing in the UFC's heavyweight division but fell quite short in his first title fight.
Ngannou's camp has previously declared an interest in taking on Joshua but that was before 'The Predator' suffered his first loss in the UFC.
"He has punching power," Ngannou's head coach Dewey Cooper told
MMAjunkie in December. "Anyone that has that equaliser will fare well. If he spends more time and takes it seriously, trains hard, he could be a champ in boxing also.
"Everyone was so enthralled about the Conor McGregor/Floyd Mayweather fight. I’d like to see Francis about one year from now fight whoever the heavyweight champion is, whether it be Deontay Wilder or Anthony Joshua. That would be a real fight, where an MMA fighter could go in there and upset a current boxing champion."
